Means for operating bulkhead-doors.



PATENTED FEB. 3, 1903;

P. HOPPE- MEANS FOR OPERATING BULKHEAD nouns.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 20, 1:902.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

PAUL HOPPE, OF BERLIN, GERMANY, ASSIGNOR TO NORDDEUTSOHER LLOYD, orBREMEN, GERMANY.

MEANS FOR OPERATING BULKHEAD-DOORS.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No, 719,669, dated. February3, 1903.

Application filed Tune 20, 1902. Serial No. 112,460. (ITO model-l Q0 allwhom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, PAUL HOPPE, manufacturer, a subject of the GermanEmperor, residing at 9/12 Gartenstrasse, Berlin, Germany, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in Means for OperatingBulkhead-Doors; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full,clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enableothers skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use thesame.

My invention relates to an arrangement by means of which bulkhead doorsmay be opened and closed from a central controllingstation.

My invention consists generally of hydraulic cylinders the pistons ofwhich are connected to their respective doors, an accumulator,preferablyfilled with water and compressed air, pipes connecting both ends of thecylinders with said accumulator, and intermediate-valves so disposedthat by turning the same water-pressure can be admitted to either end ofthe cylinder, at the same time switching the other end of the cylinderinto communication with an exhaust-pipe, whereby as pressure is admittedbelow or above the piston the door is either opened or closed.

My invention further consists in a special arrangement of the pipes andvalves in this system by which all the doors connected with the system,can be closed by the action of a single centrally-disposed valveindependently of the position of the local valves. Thus though it ispossible to open or close any single door by the use of its local valvewhen the central valve is set to open, it is not possible to open anysingle door by the use of the local valve when the central valve hasbeen set to close.

My invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, which is adiagram showing a valve disposed in and controlling the pipes connectedwith the two ends of the cylinder, which forms the subject of myinvention in connection with the difierent parts belonging to the systemand in cooperation with which it is designed to act. The constructionaldetails of the valve itself are not shown, since they are understood bypersons conversant with the art, and my invention lies not in with theexhaust-tank and passing the cylin-' ders M and M T and T are doors.

2 and 4 are two mains connecting the controlling-valve with all thecylinders.

H is the cock or valve, which forms an important feature of my presentinvention.

5 and 6 are pipes connecting the upper and lower ends of the cylinderswith the valve H, and 7, 8, and 9 are branch pipes connecting the valveH with the mains 2 and 4, and also with the exhaust-pipe 3.

G is a handle by which the valve H can be set to either of the positionsshown in the diagram with reference to doors T and T The characteristicfeature of the valve H is that it is a six-way cock, while there areonly five pipes to which it is connected. m

The operation will be readily understood. In the drawing the centralcontrolling-valve O is set to open, while the local valve controllingthe door T is set to close and the local valve controlling T is set toopen. It will be readily seen from the drawing that if it is desired toclose the door T it is only necessary to turn its valve H, when thepressure will be applied through the control-valve O and pipes 4 and 7,valve H, and pipe 5 to the upper end of the cylinder, operating to closethe door, or the local valve may remain in its open position,and bysetting the central valve 0 to close the pressure will be appliedthrough said valve, pipes 2 and 8, valve H, and pipe 5 to the upper endof the cylinder, closing the door. Furthermore, it will be seen that bythus changing the position of the control-valve O the door T, which wasalready closed, is not affected. Though in this position of thecontrol-valve the main 2 and branch pipe 8 are switched onto theaccumulator instead of main 4 and branch pipe 7,

no pressure is admitted to the lower end of the cylinder, since the'pressure in branch pipe 8 finds no outlet at the local valve H. Thelower end of the cylinder M remains connected by pipe 6, valve H, andpipe 7 with the exhaust-pipe 3, and the upper end of the cylinder is nowlikewise connected by pipe 5, local valve H, branch pipe 7, main 4-, andcontrol-valve O to the exhaust-pipe 3. Both ends of the cylinder being,exhausted, the respective door T will remain 'closed. It will beunderstood, therefore, that if the controlvalve 0 is set to open alldoors connected to the system can be opened or closed at will by the useof the local valves H I-Iindependently of the control-valve and of eachother; but when the control-valve is set to close all the doors that hadbeen opened by the use of the respective valves H H will be closed andall doors which had been closed by the use of the respective localvalves H II will remain closed.

Having thus particularly described and ascertained the nature of my saidinvention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,is-

1. In an arrangement for operating bulkhead-doors from a centralcontrolling-station, the combination with cylinders fitted to the doors,means for operating the doors according as pressure is admitted toeither of said cylinders, and a pressure-accumulator, of a pair of pipesconnecting the accumulator with the cylinders, a third pipe connectingthe cylinders with an exhaust-tank, pipes connecting each end of saidcylinders with said third pipe and controlled by a local valve, andmeans for switching the pressure stored in the accumulator to either ofthe pair of pipes and connecting the other with the exhaustpipe.

2. In an arrangement for operating several bulkhead-doors from a commoncontrollingstation which arrangement consists of a hydraulic cylinderfitted to each of said doors, means for operating the doors whenpressure is admitted to either end of the cylinders and apressure-accumulator, the combination with means for switching thepressure stored in said accumulator into either of a pair of pipesleading from the controlling-station to said cylinders andsimultaneously connecting the other to an exhaust-pipe such means beinglocated at the controlling-station, of means consisting of a six-wayvalve for connecting the one end of said cylinders with either one ofthe said pair of pipes or with the said exhaust and for simultaneouslyconnecting the other end of said cylinders with either of the said pairof pipes substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

3. In an arrangement for operating several bulkhead-doors from a commoncontrollingstation which arrangement consists of a pressure-accumulator,a hydraulic cylinder fitted to each of said doors and means foroperating said doors when pressure is admitted to either end of saidcylinders, the combination with a four-way valve located at thecontrolling-station of a pipe connecting said central valve to saidaccumulator, a second pipe connecting said central valve to each of thecylinders and leading to an exhaust-tank and of two more pipesconnecting the central valve with the cylinders, the central valve beingarranged so as to connect either of the two latter pipes to thepressure-pipe and the other to the exhaust-pipe or vice versa and meansconsisting of a six-Way valve for connecting one end of said cylinderswith either of the said latter pipes or with the exhaust-pipe,substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

4. In an arrangement for operating several bulkhead-doors from a commoncontrollingstation the combination with hydraulic cylinders fitted to'each of said doors, means for closing and opening said doors whenpressure is admitted to either end of said cylinders a six-way valveconnected by a pipe or channel to each end of the cylinder, such valvebeing arranged and connected so as to switch the one end of saidcylinders onto either of a pair of pipes connecting all cylinders withthe controlling-station and the opposite end of the cylinders eitheronto one of said pair of pipes or onto an exhaust-pipe likewiseconnecting all doors with the controlling-station, of apressure-accumulator, a pipe connecting same with thecontrolling-station and adapted and connected so as to switch thepressure stored in said accumulator onto either of the above said pairof pipes and simultaneously to connect the other to the exhaust-pipe,substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof I have affixed my signature in presence of twowitnesses.

, PAUL HOPPE.

\Vit-nesses:

WOLDEMAR HAUPT, HENRY HASPER.

